Crew 9

Join us for one of these delightful summer cruises to Holland. The Dutch are a great sea-faring nation and the beautiful medieval towns in the Scheldt estuary bear witness to an illustrious past and rich tradition. The great Thames Estuary has an equally rich maritime history and this cruise is a great opportunity to experience the region at first hand – on the sea. Following the route of the old sailing barges from Chatham on the historic River Medway we speed down the great Thames estuary past ancient banks and wartime forts, past the distant shores of Essex to delightful, unspoilt harbour of Southwold in the lovely Suffolk countryside. From here we set sail again for an epic voyage across the southern North Sea to a landfall in the Oosterscheldt delta in Holland. Here we enter the Dutch inland waterways with their wide canals, spectacular sea defences and vast sheltered sailing areas. Leaving the North Sea behind we are now in calm waters and sail through gentle countryside to visit the beautiful old towns of Zierickzee, Veere and Middelburg. There is no better way to see and enjoy these places than to arrive by sea and berth right in the centre. Then it’s back out through the giant locks at Vlissingen (Flushing) to the Westerscheldt and an express run south to lively Ostende in Belgium. Time here for some well-earned rest before our return passage across the great Dover Strait to Kent and journey’s end at the Medway. What a feast of travel – East Anglia, Kent, Holland and Belgium – and great sailing experience too.

Travel: Chatham: 45 minutes by rail or 1.5 hours by bus from Central London. Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow airports are all convenient. Cross channel links (ferry and tunnel) via Dover and Folkestone are nearby. Chatham is only 20 minutes from Ebbsfleet Eurostar terminal. By road the marina is only 20 minutes from the M25 at the Dartford Crossing. There is free parking at the marina.

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Elite Sailing specialise in beginner's sailing or motor cruising courses, adventure sailing cruises all around the British Isles and northwest Europe, and professional yachtmaster and instructor training for power and sail.